8:22 pm: Saturday night with his family gathered around him, his last gasps of breath that His God and Father had ordained for him, as we watched knowing these were the last breaths on this earth with our father and husband, and so Jesus commanded his spirit to come into His eternal rest and so enter eternal Joy! As you can probably tell, this is painful to lose someone we love so much, but as you can also probably tell this is glorious because we did not lose him without hope, but in hope we praise God that He saved Mr. Bill's soul into eternity with Himself! Our God is a good God and He does everything for the good of those who love Him and He does everything for His glory. So with somber mourning we rejoice in the hope of Christ Jesus who is our hope.

My dad had asked that I write this last caring bridge for him, so with eyes full of tears, I sing praise in pen to this moment of celebration of the GIFT Mr. Bill was for so, so many. We wanted him healed, and so God answered our prayers and healed him from the inside, even as his outside withered. My dad knew it. In his last days, even as prayer and fasting and desiring him to not die existed, he knew that his time was near fulfillment. You remember the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead? Jesus raises a 4 day dead man, whom he loved, back to life, with a word of power! Before Jesus does this miracle, Martha the sister of Lazarus cries to him why He had not come earlier to heal him, and Jesus speaks these words of truth to her soul,

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die" (John 11:25-26).

Mr. Bill shall never die. He knew that his Lazarus moment had already been given to him. He told us that his Lazarus moment was when God gave him the gift of extended life so he could live until the day he walked his baby girl down the aisle for her wedding. He was supposed to be dead before the wedding, doctors orders, but he saw God's mercy in his life when he was given many more months beyond that personal desire. He truly knew Jesus was calling him home in these end weeks and he was in so much peace about it, even as the tears of grief came over him in waves from the thoughts and feelings of having to leave his family. Now, these same waves are crashing upon us for him.

As my sister says, he would never want pity from others for himself. No, he would want encouragement and laughter and peace. One of his most concrete sentences to others in the end of his life, especially those who don't know Jesus personally, was "Jesus is real" and he died believing that, and he now is living that, and if that man could say Jesus is real amidst the pain and suffering and reality of an impending death and excruciating tumor pain, then I know that could have only come from God above.

So let us rejoice in hope of the glory that he is now living in. As my mom says, he is dancing and rejoicing like King David did in the streets rejoicing and dancing and praising his God. Without sin nor pain nor sorrow nor death nor evil nor anything except the goodness of God in the love and presence of Himself, His Son, all in His Holy Spirit. What joy! What mercy! What grace....

-The Campbell Clan

P.S. Please standby for memorial times to be announced shortly. We look forward to seeing many of you there!